(De Ware Tijd) NIEUW NICKERIE – Rice farmers in Nickerie are calling the purchasing price of SRD 67 for a 79 kg bale of paddy “murderous” and “unacceptable”. This price was set by Badrisein Sital, coordinator of the Rice Organ. According to Sital, this price is a guideline based on price trends of rice and rice products on the world market. The farmers, however, are calling this a unilateral decision in which Sital did not involve the farmers’ organizations and processors. In an interview with DWT, rice processor Leakat Mahawatkhan says that he has sold his cargo rice for US$ 590 per ton abroad. Based on this, he predicts a purchasing price that will not be higher than SRD 70 per bale. The Surinamese Paddy Farmers’ Association (SPBA) is also concerned about recent developments with regard to price calculations. SPBA chairman Harinandan Oemraw calculates that the actual cost price is SRD 83.80 per bale, and a lower price would mean heavy losses for the rice farmers.
